Real Reading with Reese

Hannah Koehler//Block A Spring 2018

Meet Reese:
This semester, I have had the joy of working with Reese, a third grader in Miss Hayden’s class at the Butler Lab School. She may be on the shy side at
first, but it does not take long to notice her consistent positive energy and appreciation for learning. She is a dedicated student and always aims to
please and do her best. Reese’s hobbies include swimming, playing soccer, rollerblading, drawing, and reading the Babysitter’s Club graphic novels.
Reese is an avid reader and is always willing to learn with me during reader’s workshop. She is an admirable role model to her fellow classmates
and never hesitates to help a peer. I have appreciated the opportunity for us to learn together over the course of the semester!

Miss Koehler: “Do you enjoy it when people read aloud to you?”

Reese: “Yes! I like it because I can close my eyes and imagine it happening.”
-2/7/18

I conducted an initial literacy assessment with Reese on

2/14/18. I had her read Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan
In Growing Readers, Kathy Collins
Literacy Goals and do a retelling. Upon analyzing Reese’s assessment, I could
immediately tell that she was a strong reader in terms of
states, “In our classrooms, when we
decoding the text. She was using meaning, visual, and syntactic provide time for talking about books
1) Reese will think and talk cues all in balance. She was also using strategies she already
in partnerships, small groups, and
knew for difficult words, such as re-reading or using the
about her reading to grow pictures for help. Because Reese already had a solid whole class settings, we are helping
foundation for decoding text, I wanted to focus more on the
ideas and increase comprehension aspect of reading. Based on Reese’s retelling readers become stronger” (153).
comprehension. of the story, she was not paying attention to all of the key
details. The retelling was very short and choppy and did not Keeping that in mind, I knew that
seem to have a clear flow. Reese included more small and
minor details as opposed to the ones that were essential for supporting Reese in her goal of
2) Reese will use a variety of understanding the main idea of the story. This analysis helped
deepening her thinking and talking
strategies such as retelling, me understand that although Reese could decode text very well
and can follow some of the events and details in a story, I wanted about her reading in various settings
connecting, and determining to encourage her to use reading strategies like determining

importance to make more importance and making connections to help her retell a story and groups would help her progress
and understand the main parts better overall. I wanted to
sense of different texts. push her thinking deeper beyond just reading the words on the and evolve into a more cognizant
page so that she could understand the significance of them. The
more that readers think and talk about books, the more they
reader.
can make sense of the text!

Over the course of the semester in my practicum classroom, I had the opportunity to dive into my beliefs as an educator and think
about how they are represented in my practices.This was a very important and intentional reflective process for me because I am
not only a teacher, but I am also a learner. The best way to grow as an educator is to take a step back and ask if my actions are tied to
my beliefs and how I am seeing my beliefs translating into the classroom and affecting my students. Diving Into Teacher Inquir:
I chose to work on using the Optimal Learning Model because I believe it is important to help students take charge of their own
learning over time. I did this by implementing it in my small group and whole group lessons. This method of instruction is I believe in using the Optimal
significant in building up students' confidence so that they feel comfortable engaging in a task within their zones of proximal
development. Because of that, I made sure to include clear demonstrations and guided work time before having students try Learning Model as a tool for
something out independently, such as when I made a storytelling hand anchor chart with my small group on 3/7/18 or modeled my gradually releasing teacher
thinking aloud with finding the theme of a poem during my whole group lesson on 4/11/18. As I taught my lessons, I realized that
not all four parts of the model are covered in every lesson. Different students need different amounts of support, and that's where responsibility and fostering
differentiating instruction becomes of significance. It is important to pay attention to the needs of each learner and follow the
child so that he or she is supported and set up for success. I actively paid attention to Reese's strengths and how she responded to independence among students.
my teaching in order to plan where to go next or if I had to explain something in another way. Flexibility is a huge aspect of
teaching, and inquiring into this belief helped me realize that.
I believe in the importance of
I also wanted to work on establishing relationships with each of my students because it shows that I care about my students as both
people and learners. Forming relationships with each of my students helped me feel like my students and I all had a place in the forming an individual
classroom environment. Reese and all of the other students gained a sense of trust in me through my careful teacher language,
attention and response to detail, and attitude that every learner is capable and competent. Getting to know each learner in Miss
relationship with each student.
Hayden's class helped me understand each student’s strengths and areas of need which aided in informing my lesson plans and
conferences with students. The more that I listen to and genuinely respond to my students' needs, we will build stronger
relationships and grow together.

“The environment you construct around you and the children also reflects this image you
have about the child… An environment that grows out of your relationship with the child
is unique and fluid.”
-Loris Malaguzzi, Your Image of the Child: Where Teaching Begins